Tour guide associations in Italy have called for popular attractions to change their summer opening hours following the death of a tour guide in Rome.
Giovanna Maria Giammarino died of a suspected heart attack during a guide shift in 31C heat at the Colosseum on Tuesday (19 August).
The 56-year-old collapsed in the amphitheatre at around 6pm and could not be revived.
Her death comes after the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) warned in June that “extreme heat is no longer an exception; it is a new reality that demands attention, adaptation, and solidarity within our profession.”
The National Association of Tourist Guides (ANGT) wrote on social media that the “Ministry of Tourism is demolishing the tourism guiding profession”.
ANGT said: “The tragedy of August 19 at the Colosseum, in which the tour guide Giovanna Maria Giomarino, 56 years old, died on her shift due to an illness, must be read as an unequivocal sign of the extremely fragile conditions in which the tour guides operate every day in Italy.”
The association highlighted that the tour guide profession requires “physical stamina, absolute dedication and a high level of cultural preparation” but does not have “adequate” safety procedures.
It claimed that the Ministry of Tourism’s choice to let “anyone become a guide and practice” in Italian cities has forced professional guides to work in “increasingly gruesome conditions at lower prices”.
Italy’s national tour guide federation, Federagit, recently called for changes to Colosseum opening hours that are compatible with the hot weather.
The federation said in a statement that “it's been months that we as Federagit have requested an earlier opening at 8 o'clock for the Colosseum Park”.
Federagit added: “It is imperative that museums, archaeological parks and leaders of cultural institutions ensure greater attention and protection to those who work on the front lines every day.”
On Wednesday (20 August), the lights of the Colosseum were turned off at 9pm for two hours as a sign of “sympathy and mourning.”
Colosseum authorities paid their condolences with a flower crown in Giammarino’s memory.
Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli said: “This loss powerfully underscores the human and professional value of those who, every day, contribute to the protection and preservation of our historical and artistic heritage.”
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